If your biscuit dough feels too wet, add more flour. The liquid content of pumpkin purée can vary by brand (and by pumpkin!) so don’t be afraid to add a bit of extra flour if your dough looks a bit sticky. Measuring flour by volume (with cups) is also notoriously unreliable; it’s very easy to end up with too much or too little flour when using cup measurements. This is a forgiving dough, though! If it looks a bit sticky, just stir in more flour a Tablespoon at a time until it feels right. Too dry? Add a splash of milk to help it come together.

No biscuit cutter? Turn a drinking glass or small bowl upside down and use it to cut out your biscuit rounds, or pat the biscuit dough into a large square and cut it into thirds top-to-bottom and left-to-right to form 9 evenly-sized squares (see this in action on our herb biscuit recipe).

Additions and Substitutions. Use buttermilk in place of milk if you like. For vegan biscuits, use cold coconut oil and coconut milk (see our vegan biscuit recipe for more on this technique). Use butternut squash or sweet potato purée in place of pumpkin. Brush biscuits with melted butter before baking if you’d like a glossy finish. Add fresh chopped sage, thyme, or rosemary for a deeper savory flavor. Add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon or a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for more fall flavor.

The key to great biscuits is to work quickly and keep the ingredients as cold as you can. Touch the dough as little as possible and don’t let it sit out – you don’t want the butter to melt until the dough is IN the oven (that’s what gives you those amazing flaky layers!)

Use aluminum-free baking powder. Aluminum can lend a slightly bitter or metallic taste to baked goods, so we recommend using an aluminum-free baking powder for best results (we like this one from Bob’s Red Mill)! If you’re sensitive to the flavor of baking powder even with an aluminum-free brand, add a teaspoon of lemon juice or cream of tartar to the biscuit dough to neutralize some of the flavor.